Chapter 115 – Kashimo Hajime vs. Yorozu
Yorozu's sharp eyes locked onto the man before her. The tiny golden beetle hovering by her side chimed quietly, displaying the data it had collected.
—Player: Kashimo Hajime.
—Current Points: 100.
The highest-scoring player in the entire barrier.
"So," Yorozu said slowly, her tone almost amused, "you must be one of those resurrected sorcerers—an ancient soul wearing fresh flesh, right?"
She could feel it immediately — the pressure of an era long gone radiating from his cursed energy.
"Four hundred years ago," the man replied evenly, "Kashimo Hajime."
He could sense the power coiling inside her as well, and his lips curled slightly. Interesting.
If he could cross blades with someone of her caliber before challenging the "strongest" — Sukuna — then he'd gladly take the opportunity. A good warm-up before the real fight.
Yorozu smiled faintly. "A thousand years ago. Yorozu."
They exchanged names, both understanding what kind of opponent stood before them.
Yorozu, however, didn't seem particularly eager to fight. Her only interest lay in finding a suitable new vessel. These "reincarnated antiques" didn't concern her.
"A thousand years ago?" Kashimo's eyes narrowed in surprise, then curved upward in intrigue. "Then you must know Sukuna. Do you know where he is now?"
Yorozu blinked. "Oh? You're looking for Sukuna too? Don't tell me you like him as well?"
Her tone was teasing — and incredulous. She hadn't expected her cursed king to have male admirers.
Kashimo's expression darkened with resolve. "Like him? No. I want to fight him."
Lightning flickered faintly around his shoulders, like his body was impatient for battle.
Four hundred years ago, he had grown too old — too strong for anyone left to challenge him. Then Kenjaku told him of Ryomen Sukuna, the undisputed strongest in history.
And so Kashimo made a binding vow — to sacrifice everything, even his own death — just for the chance to fight that man in another era.
"Fight Sukuna?" Yorozu tilted her head and gave him a pitying look. "Then take my advice and give up. You're no match for him. Only I can defeat Sukuna."
Her tone was dismissive, her eyes laced with confidence and contempt.
Kashimo's grin widened, a spark of wild amusement in his gaze. "You?" he repeated, voice low. "Then that means you're strong, right?"
Crack!
He vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared right beside her — his leg already slicing through the air in a blinding arc aimed at her skull.
Smash!
But Yorozu wasn't caught off guard. Liquid metal surged into existence midair, forming a shield that absorbed the kick with a ringing clang. In the same motion, she countered — her fist, wrapped in cursed energy, drove straight for his abdomen.
Crackle!
Purple lightning erupted. Kashimo blurred into motion, dodging like a streak of thunder, reappearing several meters away with an exhilarated grin.
"You do know where Sukuna is, don't you?" he said, electricity sparking wildly across his arms. "If I win—"
"—you'll tell me everything."
Yorozu's lips curled in a smirk. "That's assuming you survive long enough to ask."
Kashimo's eyes gleamed. "Then let's see who dies first."
With that, he lunged — his entire body wrapped in a roaring storm of lightning, the air exploding around him as the two ancient monsters clashed head-on.
His cursed energy carried the attribute of lightning, so every strike he threw crackled with electric force.
"Tch — thinks he's a steak on the grill," Yorozu muttered, and activated a Construct Technique. A thin layer of armor formed over her body; translucent wings sprouted from her back, and an insectoid helmet settled over her head. From a distance she resembled a giant, armored insect.
Yorozu had developed this form by studying insects. Construct Techniques can create real objects from nothing, but they're famously costly in cursed energy. Even someone of Yorozu's caliber cannot sustain high-consumption constructs for long. By observing insects, though, she found a workaround — creatures that could lift many times their weight, or fly with astonishing speed despite tiny frames. She combined those principles into a specialized insect armor: far less draining than a full construct, while granting massive boosts to strength and speed.
With a powerful beat of her translucent wings, Yorozu blurred into motion and slammed into Kashimo Hajime.
Bang!
Their afterimages collided, the shockwaves shattering nearby containers and carving a vacuum of smashed metal around them.
After a few exchanges, both combatants realized neither could quickly finish the other — and their interest only grew.
"So this is a sorcerer from a thousand years ago? Finally, something worth my time," Kashimo said, drawing a thunderstaff as lightning rent the air toward Yorozu.
She merely raised her armored forearm and absorbed the blow.
Crack.
Lightning scored deep fissures across the armor, but the plates snapped back into place the next instant.
"Not bad," Yorozu conceded. "But that level won't be enough to beat Sukuna."
Kashimo grinned, eyes narrowing. He surged into motion, a massive fist smashing into Yorozu's forehead and blasting her back. Liquid metal leapt from her form, shaping itself into a cage that shot forward to restrain him.
Her insect shell was the pinnacle of her tactics: incredible speed and raw power in close quarters, while still allowing remote manipulation of liquid-metal projectiles. Terrifying in melee and versatile at range.
Kashimo twisted his body, leapt, and dodged through the metal tendrils, arcs of lightning dancing along his skin. His speed spiked; his expression turned serious. This opponent was strong — perhaps the strongest he'd met so far. Without using his true technique, he might actually be outmatched.
But his ultimate technique was reserved for Sukuna — a one-time, all-or-nothing trump card he refused to waste here.
"Why are you running?" Yorozu taunted as she danced around him. "With your level, you really think you can challenge Sukuna?"
"Hmph. Not finished yet," Kashimo snorted. He swung his staff; a storm of lightning erupted, coalescing into thunder-drakes that surged at Yorozu.
She countered with liquid-metal volleys, beating her wings and skimming the ground to dodge the onslaught while she answered in kind. Today she intended to teach this presumptuous relic a lesson.
"Ah — here you are."
At that moment, Zen'in Shinsuke stepped up onto a stack of containers and watched the duel below with mild curiosity. Two ancient fighters — one from a thousand years past, one from four centuries ago — clashing in a container yard.
"So, which one's stronger?" he mused. Both wanted to fight Sukuna, it seemed.
An idea crept into his mind: if they both wanted to challenge Sukuna, why not gather everyone who wanted a piece of him and throw a crowd at the King of Curses? A mob-fight against Sukuna — now that would be a sight.
The image of Sukuna surrounded by top-tier sorcerers made Shinsuke's mouth twitch into a grin.